Saturday, May 25, 2013

Religious Parents Forgo Treatment, Allow Baby to Die

My opinion on the article: In many medical situations, the choice of treatment is left up to the patient. Doctors will grant a patient death if he or she is suffering and does not feel comfortable with further treatment. Also, if an individual feels that a certain treatment is against his or her religious beliefs, then that person may opt out of it. In this case, though, the parents are choosing for the child. This is problematic as the baby cannot make his own decision - perhaps he would rather live than die. Hence, some would equate this with murder. I know that while many people are very religious, most spiritual leaders seem to acknowledge that prayer isn't everything. It is fine to pray for one's health, but one must take the necessary steps and actually try to regain health once the praying is over. And even if it is usually against one's religion, some medical procedures may be allowed in the event of a life threatening emergency. It would be interesting to see what constitutes the parents' religious beliefs - is there really a strong enough basis to support their lack of actions? Feel free to comment.

PHILADELPHIA — After their
2-year-old son died of untreated pneumonia in 2009, faith-healing
advocates Herbert and Catherine Schaible promised a judge they would not
let another sick child go without medical care.
But now they’ve lost an 8-month-old to what a prosecutor called
“eerily similar” circumstances. And instead of another involuntary
manslaughter charge, they’re now charged with third-degree murder.

“We believe in divine healing, that Jesus shed blood for our
healing and that he died on the cross to break the devil’s power,”
Herbert Schaible, 44, told Philadelphia homicide detectives after their
ninth child, Brandon, died in April. Medicine, he said, “is against our
religious beliefs.”
The Schaibles were ordered held without bail
Friday, two days after their arrest, although defense lawyers argued
that they are neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community.
From: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/judge-orders-philly-couple-held-without-bail-in-babys-faith-healing-death-citing-flight-risk/2013/05/24/d960d1a8-c4cf-11e2-9642-a56177f1cdf7_story.html